<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1UFOEB_1H3UGy7300" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1UFOEB_1H3UGy7300" width="1200" height="630" ><figcaption>are enrolled in the IGNITE program for health sciences.</figcaption></figure>Community health worker (CHW) professions are gaining the attention of high school students in Northwest Arkansas. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation provides training to multiple age demographics.Students in Bentonville’s Ignite program had the opportunity to receive the training in the fall semester. It is a pilot program, and there are 185 students enrolled in the Ignite health studies program. The students have several health-related fields they can study, from phlebotomy to certified nursing assistant, doula training and emergency medical technician. This year, the CHW pilot curriculum follows the training UAMS offers across the state.Issiah Ball is a senior at Bentonville High School who is in the CHW training program pilot. He was one of 335 students who applied to be in Ignite’s health services classes this year. Ball said he chose the CHW studies because he felt like his family experiences a lot of health problems, and he wants to be able to help them and others. Health care professions have been on his mind since he was a freshman.“I am grateful to be chosen for the Ignite program that provides me a pathway to get my hands-on training and help further my career into health professions,” Ball said.Claire Bryson, also a senior in the Ignite program, is in her second year of health studies. As a junior, she was able to obtain a certified nursing assistant certification, and she landed an internship to shadow an OB-GYN and was able to see a cesarean section birth in the operating room. This fall, she is working to receive a CHW certification, and in the spring, she will transition to the doula training. Bryson said her long-range plan is to become a physician’s assistant, but that it is important to work in lower levels of medical care. She plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin to further her healthcare training.“I just like to have a broad understanding,” she said. “A lot of times I think physicians and higher-up medical practitioners don’t know about or appreciate the levels of care beneath them.”She said the Ignite program gives students a lot of opportunities to learn about different health roles and also fosters a sense of empathy for the people around them.The CHW training Ball and Bryson are getting involves hands-on experience, and much of the reading and traditional quizzes take place at home on the student’s own time. The flipped schedule has not really been too much of a challenge for these two students, who said they appreciate the opportunity to learn more in a short period of time.Ball said he thinks about his grandparents, who would have really benefited from having a CHW to help them understand what care was available.This past summer, the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation offered CHW training for Huntsville high school students. Eight students attended the two-week class, and each received a $500 gift card to help with transportation and time. The gift cards were covered by a grant supporting rural health education. It was the first CHW training for high school students offered in the state and the second in the nation. The training included 80 hours of hybrid instruction over the two weeks.Students learned skills to better understand and respond to public health needs within a community setting. Topics included care coordination, effective communication and health education.Taylor Hatfield, who took part in the summer training, wants to train to be an emergency room nurse after her high school graduation. She said the training taught her how to listen and become a better communicator.“Community health workers are being seen more and more as an essential bridge between communities and healthcare services,” said Rosalinda Medrano, director of community programs at the Institute for Community Health Innovation. “This is not only a win for communities across Arkansas, but also for the next generation of healthcare leaders. Through collaborations with schools like Huntsville, we’re honored to help prepare those future leaders with the skills and experience needed to serve others and build lasting careers.”The Institute for Community Health Innovation developed the first CHW apprentice program in the United States in 2022, reducing the training time from two years to one. In partnership with the Arkansas Community Health Worker Association, the institute has trained more than 450 CHWs since 2022.</div></body>

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Community health worker (CHW) professions are gaining the attention of high school students in Northwest Arkansas. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation provides training to multiple age demographics. Students in Bentonville’s Ignite program had the opportunity to receive the training in the fall...

High school students train as community health workers

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Community health worker (CHW) professions are gaining the attention of high school students in Northwest Arkansas. The University of Arkansas for Medical S

High school students train as community health workers

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